Chapter: 35
Not a speck of dust could be found on her pure white hair, which danced with the wind, and her ruby-like red eyes sparkled brightly. A smile that never left her face was definitely her trademark. If you were to grab any passerby and ask for their opinion, 99 out of 100 would declare her beautiful.
And the last remaining one is me. I know the truth behind that facade, so I can’t give her a good review.
‘Why is that brat here?’
If I had to write a will just before dying from a rage-induced heart attack, she would definitely be mentioned among the trio I want to complain about. The first section chief of the Inspection Department appeared—a being who trolls innocently with that ever-smiling face, making everyone clutch their necks in frustration. She shouldn’t be here!
As I glared at the first section chief, it felt as if I could devour her with my eyes. Perhaps feeling my gaze, she turned to look at me. The moment our eyes met, her grin annoyed me immensely.
“Executive Manager!”
She fussed around with the food she had in her arms, then waved one hand with fervor. Just seeing that bright smile made me involuntarily let out a sigh. Hey, don’t raise your voice when others are watching; it’s a bit embarrassing!
“I’ll be back.”
Leaving the stares of the club members behind, I approached the first section chief. It was uncertain what she might say if I let her come to the booth. The scariest thing in the world is an unpredictable troll.
“Long time no see, Executive Manager! Have you been well?”
“I was doing fine until just now.”
Now that I see you, it feels like I won’t be doing fine anymore.
“Hehe, that’s a relief!”
Regardless of my thoughts, the first section chief just kept smiling. Sometimes I really felt like punching her, but I always held back. After all, if she disappeared, finding a replacement would be quite the challenge.
But first, I had to figure out why she was here. I’m pretty sure she didn’t come to lounge around in the place where I work.
“So, what’s the occasion here?”
“Huh? Didn’t the Minister mention anything?”
The first section chief tilted her head in confusion at my question. Minister? What did that person have to say?
‘Oh.’
— Don’t be surprised if some officials from the Administration drop by.
The Minister did mention something like that during a recent video conference. Dammit, did that mean she was referring to the fact that she would come? I thought he was just talking about some officials stopping by for social chatter.
My expression twisted at the unexpected turn of events, but the first section chief continued blathering on without a care.
“The Minister said that once I got here, there would be something I need to do.”
“Something you need to do?”
After briefly considering the first section chief’s words, I managed to form a rough picture. If the first section chief had a purpose for coming all the way here, I had a hunch about it.
“They said corpses will soon appear and that someone from the Special Service Agency would also come, so we just have to wait. But what does it mean that corpses will appear? Are they possibly talking about undead?”
“You’ll find out when the time comes, so don’t worry about it.”
“Ugh…”
Undead? What undead? It’s been ages since the Twilight Cult was on the rise, and I haven’t heard about any undead roaming the continent.
I glanced at the first section chief, who pouted at my words, and proceeded to gather my thoughts.
‘This seems like the perfect time for a little academy demolition.’
The Apels Revival Army, classified as one of the dangerous groups, had a code name for their operations: ‘corpses,’ perfectly infused with the emotional baggage of the Information Department’s chief.
The implication that a corpse will soon appear indicated that the Apels Revival Army was planning to strike during the Fair. As the Information Chief had previously said, all I had to do was anticipate the troops sent by the Special Service Agency. I didn’t think they would actually target the Fair like this.
‘What an obvious plan.’
Obvious goals at an obvious time. At this point, it made me wonder if perhaps someone from our side was infiltrating them. I suppose there’s a reason they are making such a fuss about resurrecting a country that vanished 300 years ago.
While I was finagling my thoughts, the resonance of the first section chief’s voice broke through.
“Uh, Executive Manager, this booth is for pastries, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Why?”
“Which is better, bread or cookies?”
At that, I involuntarily glanced at the food piled in the first section chief’s arms. She already had more than enough for a meal, and yet she wanted to buy even more?
As if she sensed my stare, she puffed out her chest proudly and retorted, “I have a separate stomach just for desserts!”
Not exactly the most comprehensible statement, but I supposed if she believed it, then so be it.
Anyways, between bread and cookies, which is tastier?
“Bread is decent.”
“Then I’ll buy cookies!”
I gazed silently at the first section chief, who promptly selected the other option, her tongue sticking out with playful mockery.
“I know your taste is peculiar, Executive Manager, so the cookies will probably taste better than the bread.”
With that, she pranced over to the booth. That audacious section chief had reached the point of using our shared history to take advantage of me. A subordinate aiming to ride on their superior’s coattails, I wonder what kind of world this is turning into?
‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’
Thus, I intentionally declared that the bread tasted better than the cookies.
Sure, kid, you’ve still got a long way to go.
I spotted the first section chief in tears from eating a cookie.
As expected, her crying face is cuter than when she’s smiling. It feels nice to see her like this.
Ignoring her betrayal-filled gaze, I entered the booth and emerged with an apron draped over my arm.
“You don’t have anything to do, do you?”
At those words, the first section chief blinked rapidly in surprise, then awkwardly opened her mouth.
“I was planning on checking out the juniors from my club…”
“So you don’t have anything to do.”
I tossed the apron around the first section chief’s neck, now trapped because of the food in her hands. She twisted her head around in protest, but it was a futile struggle.
I wondered if it was wise to leave her in the booth, given her unpredictability as a troll. However, if she was going to stay at the Academy instead of just popping in for fun, it’d be better to keep an eye on her. It’d be more of a hassle if she roamed around out of my sight.
“Louise. If you need extra hands, ask her.”
“Ah, sure thing, Onii-chan!”
Louise awkwardly looked at the first section chief, who bore a gloomy expression as if caught and sold by a slave trader, before turning to me.
“By the way, Onii-chan, who is this person?”
“She’s my subordinate, so feel free to treat her casually.”
“This is violence…”
Gosh, such complaints!
I gripped the complaining first section chief’s shoulder, and she contorted and plopped down onto the floor.
*
Ainter quietly observed Carl quarreling with the woman he called a subordinate.
“The Executive Manager seems to unexpectedly get along well with her subordinate.”
“Indeed, that’s quite surprising.”
With the amused voice of Rutis filtering in from the side, Ainter nodded suitably and fell silent again.
Rutis didn’t seem to care much for Ainter’s reaction. He was too occupied watching the whining woman. From an outsider’s perspective, the scene must have looked like a childish girl throwing a tantrum.
‘So, she’s the first section chief?’
Even though Carl didn’t specifically state who she was, it was clear he only had one female subordinate with white hair. Ainter’s expression darkened when he confirmed that this was indeed the first section chief.
While the sections within the Inspection Department might perform shared tasks, each still had their specialty. The first section specialized in interrogation, or more bluntly, torture.
The first section was infamous enough that it was said it would be merciful to die rather than be captured by them. Entering felt like stepping into a factory of human misery—you would never walk out on your own. There’s even a joke claiming that the leading cause of retirement among officials in the first division was trauma from witnessing those endless tortures.
While it’s hard to say if that “joke” is entirely true, it’s clear that whatever happens there is worse than what one could ever imagine.
‘The emotional mismatch is quite severe.’
Yet the woman before him led the first section. While it was well-known that members of the Inspection Department were generally quite young, Ainter hadn’t expected a person like her to be so light-hearted in private.
She was rumored to be a witch, a sadistic lady who enjoyed blood baths, or someone who found amusement in torturing prisoners personally just out of pure boredom. Those were the whispers surrounding Elizaveta Massello, head of the first section of the Inspection Department.
Of course, due to the notorious reputation of the Inspection Department and the rare opportunities to meet their members during peaceful times, it resulted in a multitude of bizarre rumors about its officials. It was also why one couldn’t take everything at face value.
“Executive Manager! I bought that with my money!”
“Thanks. I’m lucky to have a section chief like you as a subordinate.”
“Aah! Don’t eat that!”
“Louise, do you want a taste?”
“Noo!”
But despite everything, that scene was truly unexpected. Ignoring all rumors, it remained a fact that the first section specialized in torture. Decades back, the unit had even been called the Supreme First Division, ranking above others.
‘Have things changed?’
News regarding the Inspection Department always spread slowly due to its tightly sealed operations. Even if they claimed they were handling different tasks, it was impossible to verify unless the Inspection Department decided to make it public. Especially for someone like Ainter, with no real authority.
Lost in those thoughts, Ainter and the first section chief’s eyes coincidentally met.
‘…Nope, not really.’
What changed was irrelevant.
As Ainter locked gazes with the beautifully red eyes reminiscent of rubies, that beautiful color instantly morphed into a sticky hue of bloodlust. Scanning Ainter swiftly, an action so subtle that he would have missed it if he weren’t the target of her intense gaze, the first section chief then nonchalantly turned away.
Ainter barely managed to suppress a laugh. He couldn’t believe he had entertained the notion that the Inspection Department had changed since its former notoriety. The look in the first section chief’s eyes was devastatingly familiar and chilling.
‘A gaze contemplating how to eliminate me.’
The same eyes he’d seen in the Crown Prince who emerged victorious in the succession dispute, the eyes of the Second Prince when he was booming in his prime, and that of Carl, two years prior.
It suddenly dawned on him that maybe the first section chief’s presence at the Academy was related to him. Upon reaching that conclusion, Ainter felt an icy chill in his veins.
*
“Executive Manager, Executive Manager.”
“Why?”
The first section chief suddenly whispered, almost in a whimper.
“Are you planning to do something about the Third Prince?”
In a flash, I yanked on her ear for that inquiry.
“Ow! That hurts!”
“Absolutely not! So stop creating such an atmosphere!”
If it were someone else, I might not have cared. But hearing that come from the first section chief sent shivers down my spine. Two years back, she had asked, “When will you take action against the Second Prince?” revealing that she had an undercurrent of wanting to nudge towards eliminating him.
At first, I let it slide, but as she mentioned it more directly, panic spread through me. I had endured enormous trouble in hastily orchestrating the assassination of the Second Prince (with no witnesses, of course) before a massive incident regarding the Prince being tortured stirred up.
“Your job is completely separate, so just behave.”
“Yes, ma’am…”
Once I released her ear, she rubbed it gingerly. Outwardly, she appeared to be just a normal person.
Am I really supposed to take this person with me during the Fair, amidst the crowded Academy with people bustling about?
‘Am I losing my sanity?’
If they were sending a section chief, it would have been much better for it to be the fifth one instead. Alas, the first section chief specialized in interrogation and torture above all others.
I miss you, Fifth Section Chief…
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